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"Fredericksburg During the Civil War" is a typed account of a Union soldier's experiences during the Battle of Fredericksburg, Second Battle of Fredericksburg, and Battle of Salem Church. The account includes detailed descriptions of each battle and of the "Mud March" of January 1863. The writer commented on his regiment's movements, casualties, the experience of coming under heavy fire, and other subjects.

Fredericksburg During the Civil War (16 pages) is a typed account of Union soldier's experiences during the Battle of Fredericksburg, Second Battle of Fredericksburg, and Battle of Salem Church. The account begins with a description of the area around Fredericksburg, Virginia, and brief remarks about its strategic importance. The bulk of the document consists of the author's reminiscences about his experiences between December 1862 and May 1863. While crossing the Rappahannock River toward Fredericksburg, he saw a large number of playing cards discarded by soldiers who did not want to seem morally compromised in the event of their death. He described the large number of casualties between Union and Confederate lines during the Battle of Fredericksburg and recalled a heroic Confederate sergeant who took water to the wounded despite the risk of being shot; both sides ceased to fire while he tended to the wounded. After retreating to winter quarters, the author and his tent-mate built a log hut and participated in General Ambrose Burnside's aborted "Mud March" in January 1863.

The narrative resumes in May 1863, when the author's regiment joined the "disastrous" Chancellorsville campaign under General Joseph Hooker. The VI Corps approached Fredericksburg on May 1, 1863, and then engaged Confederate forces. Though the author exchanged fire with Confederate soldiers, he was unsure whether he had been directly responsible for any deaths. He discussed the capture of the Washington Battery, noted the death of a college classmate during the battle, and wondered whether the victory had justified the large number of casualties. As the Union Army continued to move toward Chancellorsville, the author became involved in the Battle of Salem Church, which he recounted in the present tense, listing multiple marching orders and providing accounts of several specific soldiers. The essay ends with the author locating his disjointed regiment and retreating back toward a previous encampment at White Oak Church.

This collection is made up of typescripts and copies related to Lewis C. Mead's service in the 22nd Michigan Infantry Regiment, Company I, during the Civil War, including his time as a prisoner of war. He wrote letters home while serving in Kentucky, Tennessee, and Georgia, and during his imprisonment in Libby Prison and other Confederate prisoner-of-war camps.

This volume (177 pages) contains typescripts and copies related to Lewis C. Mead's service in the 22nd Michigan Infantry Regiment, Company I, during the Civil War. The collection includes an introduction by Mead's youngest daughter.

Pages 1-148 largely consist of letters that Mead wrote to his parents and sister during his military service. He described camp life, marches, and scenery in Kentucky, Tennessee, and Georgia (particularly in and around Lexington, where the regiment was stationed for much of the winter of 1862-1863). He mentioned Lexington's African American population, his African-American servant in Nashville (shared with his tent mates), promotions and officer elections within his company and regiment, executions of deserters, and a skirmish with Confederate forces. From October 1863 to November 1864, he wrote from Libby Prison and other Confederate prisoner-of-war camps. Mead discussed his health and his possible release or exchange. By the time he resumed his correspondence in March 1865, he had returned to the regiment. He remained with the unit until at least May 1865.

A small number of letters by other writers include an early order by J. W. Trueman authorizing Mead to raise a company for a regiment of lancers (October 3, 1861) and several written to the Mead family during the war. E. S. Woodman, an acquaintance, and other soldiers provided news about Lewis C. Mead's capture and imprisonment in October 1864. Postwar correspondence includes family letters and a letter from H. S. Dean to Lewis C. Mead regarding a visit to the Chickamauga battlefield by Michigan veterans (October 25, 1893).

The letters are followed by Mead's ca. 1886 reminiscences of his Civil War service, including his experiences during the Battle of Chickamauga and his subsequent imprisonment (pp. 149-164); a speech by Mead about the 22nd Michigan Infantry Regiment's Civil War service (pp. 165-172); and additional reminiscences written after a 50th anniversary visit to the Chickamauga battlefield, Chattanooga, Tennessee, and other locations related to Mead's wartime experiences (pp. 173-177).

The volume contains a photocopy of a newspaper obituary for Lewis C. Mead, published in The Daily Press. Photocopied photographs include Lewis C. Mead around the time of his enlistment and as an older adult; "Johnny Clem," a 12-year-old soldier who was embedded with Mead's regiment (pictured in uniform holding a gun); James Arthur Gallery wearing Mead's dress uniform; and Owen Carlisle Frost in a World War I-era army uniform.

A typescript copy of a letter by William Hayden Smith regarding his experiences with the 1st Michigan Infantry Regiment around the time of Robert E. Lee's surrender at Appomattox is pasted into the volume's back cover (April 9, 1865).